- shoulder
- [[t]ʃo͟ʊldə(r)[/t]]
♦♦shoulders, shouldering, shouldered1) N-COUNT: oft poss N Your shoulders are between your neck and the tops of your arms.
She led him to an armchair, with her arm round his shoulder...
He glanced over his shoulder and saw me watching him.
2) N-COUNT The shoulders of a piece of clothing are the parts that cover your shoulders....extravagant fashions with padded shoulders.
3) N-PLURAL: poss N When you talk about someone's problems or responsibilities, you can say that they carry them on their shoulders.No one suspected the anguish he carried on his shoulders...
I fervently hope he recognizes and understands the burden that's on his shoulders.
4) VERB If you shoulder the responsibility or the blame for something, you accept it.[V n] He has had to shoulder the responsibility of his father's mistakes...
[V n] Some of the blame for the disastrous night must be shouldered by the promoters.
Syn:5) VERB If you shoulder something heavy, you put it across one of your shoulders so that you can carry it more easily.[V n] The rest of the group shouldered their bags, gritted their teeth and set off...
[V n] He shouldered his bike and walked across the finish line.
6) VERB If you shoulder someone aside or if you shoulder your way somewhere, you push past people roughly using your shoulder.[V n with aside] The policemen rushed past him, shouldering him aside...
[V way prep/adv] She could do nothing to stop him as he shouldered his way into the house...
[V past/through n] He shouldered past Harlech and opened the door.
7) N-VAR A shoulder is a joint of meat from the upper part of the front leg of an animal....shoulder of lamb.
8) → See also , hard shoulder9) PHRASE: usu PHR after v If someone offers you a shoulder to cry on or is a shoulder to cry on, they listen sympathetically as you talk about your troubles.Mrs Barrantes longs to be at her daughter's side to offer her a shoulder to cry on...
Roland sometimes saw me as a shoulder to cry on.
10) PHRASE: PHR above n If you say that someone or something stands head and shoulders above other people or things, you mean that they are a lot better than them.The two candidates stood head and shoulders above the rest...
I am very impressed by your magazine. It is head and shoulders above any other.
11) PHRASE: V and N inflect If you say that someone is looking over their shoulder, you mean that they feel anxious all the time about what someone may do to them.When a company keeps making people redundant, those who are left behind might start looking over their shoulder.
12) PHRASE: PHR after v, v-link PHR If two or more people stand shoulder to shoulder, they are standing next to each other, with their shoulders touching.They fell into step, walking shoulder to shoulder with their heads bent against the rain...
We went on board and saw these people packed shoulder to shoulder on the decks.
13) PHRASE: usu v PHR If people work or stand shoulder to shoulder, they work together in order to achieve something, or support each other.They could fight shoulder-to-shoulder against a common enemy...
We will need you and the chairman standing shoulder to shoulder on basic positions.
Syn:side by side
English dictionary. 2008.
